Security Selection

The Assetfirst Difference

What differentiates Assetfirst is our belief that passive funds should form the bedrock of the investment portfolio rather than disproportionately expensive actively managed funds.
Passive funds aim to track the performance of a recognised index and do not involve the additional cost burden associated with attempts to beat the index. As a result passive funds have much lower costs allowing advisers to allocate greater resources to asset allocation within an overall cost budget that remains acceptable to investors.

Most advisers are familiar with index-tracking unit trusts and OEICs. In recent months we have seen tremendous progress in the coverage and attractiveness of funds in this arena. The stimulus has been the changing regulatory environment and the gathering momentum of Exchange Traded Funds. Fashions come and go with true innovations sometimes lost in the noise but ETFs in particular are an idea with the potential to enhance investment performance and bring investor borne costs closer to the ideal.

There are many different considerations when selecting the right passive fund for a portfolio. Cost and availability are important factors but there are many other factors to bear in mind. What the fund owns for example. Two indices that cover similar areas of market can differ greatly and will display unique risk and return characteristics. The total expense ratio of a fund is also a key factor, but there are other cost considerations too. The structure of Exchange Traded Funds and expected liquidity are key sources of risk which must also be contemplated.

Assetfirst are acknowledged experts in this field and can offer guidance for you and your clients.

Related Information

Brochure

About Us

Passive investment specialist IFA Andrew Whiteley and Independent Analyst Steve Williams have joined forces to launch assetfirst, a unique, fee-based, model portfolio service designed to assist other advisers to comply with the demands of the Retail Distribution Review (RDR)... Read more

Overview

What people are saying...

"As we gradually move to a fee based market, initiatives such as Assetfirst will become increasingly important to advisers as they realise the low cost and transparent benefits offered by exchange traded funds (ETFs)."
David Bower, Director, iShares